Rosi Cornwell16th April – 25th April 2023.
So after a magical experience at rainbow, Hollie and I got a coach from Santa Marta to Medellin. We left at 5.30pm and about 40 minutes into the journey we had to stop and wait for another bus as our one had some sort of mechanical fault.
Hollie and I patiently waited on the side of the road, stroking the street dogs and drinking an apple Smirnoff. We were content. However the English girls we had spoken too were very inpatient about the fact we weren’t on the bus.. .Despite there being 17 hours left and no one actually needed to be anywhere. Hollie and I questioned whether we were just zen now after rainbow, or if it really wasn’t a big deal. I also pointed out that it was much better for this to be happening early into the journey than at 3am.
About 3 hours later we were back on the bus and eventually we arrived at about 12pm the next day in Medellin. We got a taxi to our hostel and wasted no time in going out to stock up on food for the next 4 days. We even made a shopping list and thought about what meals we would eat. Which is funny really as we didn’t end up eating for about 2 days, but rest assured no food was wasted. Whilst Hollie had a shower, I sneakily went out to buy birthday décor for her room, which I planned to put up in the morning whilst she was at the airport meeting Amie.
A friend from Costa Rica who also volunteered at the wet nose project was also in Medellin, so she came over for a lentil spag bol and a girl in my dorm told me of a party happening (gringo Tuesday) – so Ronja and I got ready and headed out on the town. Hollie stayed in to be fresh for Amie’s arrival in the morning!! I was most surprised that I was going out after pulling an all nighter on then coach here!! There’s still life in the old gal yet ahahahahaha!
As Ronja and I headed out in an Uber I realised how far away from our hostel we were going and I realised that I needed to regain some sense or sobriety to ensure I got home safe (Ronja was in a different hostel for this night). We had some cocktails in a bar to start with and then headed to the Gringo party. I saw the inpatient girls from the coach there, and felt glad that they had made it to the party they were so desperate for on the side of that road. It was a pretty standard party bar… kinda like being in Rokka down Ramsgate.
I got a taxi home and got into bed a our 4am. I set my alarm for 7.30am and as it was early I set it to vibrate only (dorm mate brownie points for me). Although this backfired on me, as I didn’t wake me up, and I woke up at 8.30am instead. I had spent the night before blowing balloons up ready for this moment, so decided to put them outside Hollie and Amie’s room anyway as it would still be nice for when they walked out. I put up a banner on the door and secured birthday headbands around the pipe. I thought I could hear them laughing and joking in the room, amongst the ringing in my ear.
I went back to bed and was later woken up by Hollie thanking me for the décor. It turned out that Amie’s flight was delayed and they hadn’t been in the room. Just goes to show what the power of the mind can do when it thinks something aye!!
I said hello to Amie and she informed me that she’d left her phone in the taxi! (By some miracle she ended up getting it back!!!!) I sat and had a rum and lemonade for Hollie’s birthday breakfast and then Amie and Hollie spent the day together. So I had no choice but to buy a bottle of rum and headed to Ronja’s hostel.. The Masaya. It was a huge hostel. It even had an escape room. I poured us drinks and we swam in the amazing infinity pool. It had views for days. I just love the feeling of waking up still drunk and carrying on drinking. This doesn’t make me an alcoholic BTW. It makes me an opportunist.
Later I went back to meet Amie and Holz, to get ready to go out for Hollie’s birthday!
We got a taxi to the main part of town and started with an alcoholic slushy each. All a different flavour to share… we sat in a park square listening to music and chatting. Ronja stayed with the people in the park and we headed off to find some bars! We went into a gay bar with funky décor, a bar that sang happy birthday to Hollie and then my memory escapes me… We ended up going back to the bar that sang happy birthday to Hollie and it was about 1am at this point so I had a little nap.
I awoke and we had to move on to the next bar which was out of town and apparently open to 8am. It was open to about 6am and full of locals! We got a taxi back and the driver let us control the music. I requested Eminem Puke and gave it my best effort! We went back to Hollie and Amie’s room and stayed up watching weird YouTube videos. Amie seems to have an archive of that kept us entertained until it was time to go to bed. Safe to say the next day was a write off. A bed day consisting of crisps and Netflix.
The next day we all attempted to head out for a walking tour of Communa 13 but didn’t make the tram on time.. Well we didn’t have a metro card so that didn’t help so we rebooked the tour for 4.30pm and Holz and Amie left to get ready for their date night and Ronja and I went exploring.
We went on the cable cars that suspend you over the city, you can see for miles and miles over the vast houses and mountains. It’s mad that this was a tourist experience for us, but a daily commute for some. These pictures are REALLY CRAP, so sorry about that.
It was slightly scary as you’re relying on the mechanisms to work properly and not suddenly drop you thousands of feet to the ground. But we made it back safely onto land and then headed to Communa 13 for the walking tour.
I have to say that I’m not really a fan of a tour.. I find it hard to focus on people talking at me, reeling off information that I’m supposed to remember without writing it down to retain it. But this was the best walking tour ever!! We learnt about the history of Communa 13, and about the Murals. They get redone every 5 years, but some end up staying longer because people like them so much.
So Communa 13 used to be a really dangerous town but got turned around. It’s built up with lots of tiny houses that are apparently illegal. It was one of 3 cities that has an escalator to help disabled people get around.. And I have to say it was pretty cool being on an escalator in the middle of a town!!
The tour guide even bought us an ice lolly and we went on a slide, listened to some very talented guys do a rap consisting of the words we gave to them.. The first word that popped into my head was onomatopoeia and they managed it. So that was epic!
We also got to have a go a spray painting which is very hard, and try a local drink of fermented sugar cane. It tasted like apple cider vinegar!!
It was also great getting to see Communa 13 all lit up!
Once the tour was over and Ronja and I headed back to the hostel, ate some fajitas and went to meet Hollie and Amie at a drum and bass event!! We had waited so long for some dnb this was a blessing. The first guy was kinda slow and trancey but the 2nd guy pulled through. I was surprised …as he was wearing a roll neck. But he came through with the goods. The bar only served Corona which is the worst beer in the world (hmm okay maybe not worse than Fosters), but then they ran out. So they closed early. Which was a bit shit but we moved onto the next bar and danced in a local place with a guy rapping in front of a car with a smoke machine. It was pretty funky but I was super tired, so we all headed back to the hostel.
We awoke with plans to go paragliding at 2pm, so it was a nice chilled morning and we left in a taxi to go to the meeting point. However, Hollie got a text to say that it was raining and so paragliding would have to wait until 10am the next day.
I suggested to go to the Masaya hostel to use their lovely pool. We got the tram and made a stop at a vegan restaurant for food. Then we walked to the Masaya. Had the quickest swim ever before we were informed it costs 100,000 (£20) to use the pool. We did not wish to pay this so made a swift exit and chilled at the hostel watching films.
The next day we had to check out and leave at 10am to go paragliding!!! A guy met us and took us in his car up the windy mountains. He told us he was a pilot, and I really hoped that he was more sensible in the air than on the roads, because he was driving most recklessly.
We pulled up to the location and had to climb about 100 vertical steps… Which was such a challenge… Once at the top we wrote our names down. I had barely recovered from the ascent to the top of hill, and then someone called my name and I was being strapped onto a man and instructed to run off a cliff.
This was the part that I was worried about… But the guy was so good and I got to sit back and relax…letting out the occasional woooo, and woahhhh. It was such a crazy experience, gradually spiralling higher and higher into the sky. Seeing the plush greenery below me, and the many many houses of Medellin. I was surprised at how calm I was about doing this, but I loved it!!!
The scariest bit was waiting for Hollie and Amie to land, as they seem to take so longggg up in the air! Amie landed, and then we were informed that Hollie had had to land in the centre at a different location due to the wind! So we made our descent down the million steps and got into the death trap car and picked Hollie up! I was worried she hadn’t got to experience it fully, but she had, they just couldn’t land properly!
So we had checked out of this hostel, but we had to wait HOURS until we could check into the Airbnb (6pm!!), but when the time came we got a taxi and were very happy with our new place to call home. After months of hostels, me and Hollie were living da vida loca with an apartment. Which we can now easily afford split between 3. It worked out at something silly like £6 a night! We enjoyed a lovely dinner, and enjoyed the view from the balcony. We love balconies!
The next day we attempted a pool day, which Amie had been longing for since her arrival – no such luck… the pool was closed for cleaning on a Monday! So we got ready and headed to Communa 13, and did the cable cars.
The next day we finally got our pool day, but not for long as it became cloudy!!! We had to wear these silly swimming caps also – I mean how much hair can get in a drain, but we followed the rules anyway…!
The next day we had to check out, and we got a bus to Guotepe, where we would be camping in Penol!
So Medellin – not pronounced how it’s spelt, was super fun, a great place for a night out, lots of tourist activities… we could have spent much longer here to do much more, but time moves on and so must we….
